Carole Cavanaugh

Kawashima Professor of Japanese Studies

Courses

Course List:

Courses offered in the past four years. ▲indicates offered in the current term▹indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]

FYSE 1345 - Art & Nature of Contemplation

The Art and Nature of Contemplation
What would it be like to attend to oneself, to others, and to the world with the concentration and insight of a Zen-inspired poet? How does a forest, a river, a neighborhood, or a city feel to an artist in open attentiveness to the immediate environment? This seminar invites students to experience contemplative knowing of self and surroundings through mindfulness meditation and through daily reflections in words, sketches or photographs. We will learn about the traditional origins of meditation and more recent uses of mindfulness for personal wellbeing. To give context to our own practice we will engage critically with essays, poems, art installations, and films that have arisen from contemplations of nature in ancient and modern times. Our study begins with Japanese poets Saigyo and Basho, the classic filmmaker Ozu, and the anime director Miyazaki. We then explore and compare meditative works by American and international writers and artists Annie Dillard, Andy Goldsworthy, and Maya Lin. We will conclude with the question of the relationship between mindfulness and social awareness in the works of Shigeru Ban. 3 hrs. sem/disc. AAL ART CW

INTD 1200 - The Imagination of Disaster

The Imagination of Disaster
The American atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and nuclear testing throughout the Cold War spawned disaster films in both the U.S. and Japan. Films imagining nuclear catastrophe and contamination emerged in several genres, including science fiction, film noirs, documentaries, anime, and even comedy. Susan Sontag’s seminal essay, “The Imagination of Disaster”, will be our touchstone for exploring nuclear fear in films from the 1950s to the 1980s. Students will analyze the ways in which the representation of nuclear apocalypse is similar and different across the two cultures. Films for study include Godzilla (Honda, 1954),/ D.O.A./ (Maté, 1950), Record of Living Being (Kurosawa, 1955), Kiss Me Deadly (Altman, 1955), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Kubrick, 1964), The Day the Earth Stood Still (Wise, 1951), Atomic Café / (Rafferty, 1982), /Akira (Otomo, 1988), and Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind (Miyazaki, 1984). AAL ART CMP NOA

JAPN 0175 / FMMC 0175 - Anime Masterworks

Anime: Masterworks of Japanese Animation
How did anime emerge as a distinctive national genre in global popular culture at the turn of the 21st century? What social conditions in Japan promoted adaptations of manga (graphic novels) into feature-length films for adult audiences? In this course students will address these questions by analyzing the forms and contexts of ten masterworks by the most prominent directors of Japanese animation. We will study the relation of anime to classic Disney films, live-action Hollywood cinema, and Japanese aesthetic traditions. Students will probe the political and ethical questions anime raises about the atomic bombings of World War II, individual identity, consciousness and the body, and the human impact on the natural environment. We will study several directors and give special attention to Miyazaki as an anime auteur. Films include Grave of the Fireflies, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and The Wind Rises. 3 hrs. lect. AAL ART NOA

JAPN 0240 / FMMC 0240 - Gun and Sword: Japan&US Films

Guns and Swords: Violence and Masculinity in Japanese and American Films
Cowboys, samurai, gangsters, and yakuza are fabled figures embodying national myths of honor and resistance in American and Japanese films. Swordfight and gunfight genres grapple with the issue of lethal weapons in the hands of individuals when the power of the state is absent, corrupt, or ineffectual. Familiar motifs, archetypal characters, and straightforward plots uphold traditional aspirations threatened by the forces of modernity. Japanese and American directors have exploited these conventions to create cinematic masterpieces about questions of violence, righteousness, and masculinity. In this course we will explore cross-cultural influences between swordfight and gunfight genres as we compare their heroes, antiheroes, conflicts, and codes. Films for study include Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, The Tale of Zatoichi, The Searchers, High Noon, Unforgiven, Pale Flower, Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill, White Heat, The Godfather, and Goodfellas. 3hrs. lect/disc. AAL ART CMP NOA

JAPN 0260 / FMMC 0260 - Films of Kurosawa

The Films of Kurosawa (in English)
Akira Kurosawa is internationally recognized as one of the great auteurs of cinema. His visually stunning samurai films made him famous worldwide, but some of his most compelling works deal with crime and corruption in modern society. Whether set in the past or the present, each of his films tells a story about an unlikely hero who finds himself grappling with an enduring human question: What personal sacrifices must we make for the good of others? What is bravery and where does it come from? How do we achieve our own identity? Is goodness possible in an evil world? Students will explore and debate these issues as we analyze Kurosawa’s storytelling style and cinematic techniques in a dozen films spanning his fifty-year career, including Drunken Angel, Seven Samurai, Ikiru and Kagemusha. 3 hrs. lect./ 3 hrs. screen. AAL ART

JAPN 0290 - The Tale of Genji (in English)

The Tale of Genji (in English)
/The Tale of Genji/ is the world’s first psychological novel. This rich narrative centers on the political intrigues and passionate love affairs of Genji, a fictional prince barred from the throne. In this course we will explore the narrative through a close reading in English translation. Students will gain knowledge of the aesthetic, religious, and social contexts of the Heian period, one of the most vibrant eras in Japanese culture. We will also trace how Genji monogatari has been interpreted over ten centuries in art, theater, films, and most recently, manga. (Formerly JAPN 0190) 3hrs. lect/disc. AAL LIT

JAPN 0450 - Seminar in Classical Japanese

Seminar in Classical Japanese, Heian Period
The Heian period marks the high point of literary Japanese. In this seminar students will learn to read and translate the original classical language (bungo) in canonical works of fiction, poetry, and diaries from the 9th through the 12th century. We will discuss how self-expression emerged in Japanese writing and how subjectivity developed in fiction and poetic journals. Students will gain a solid grounding in early literary history and will master the orthography, vocabulary, and basic structures of the pre-modern language. Our readings will include Taketori monogatari, Genji monogatari, Sarashina nikki, and Hyakunin isshu. (Approval only) 3 hrs. sem. AAL LIT LNG

JAPN 0451 - Seminar in Classical Japanese

Seminar in Classical Japanese, Medieval to Edo Period
Samurai ideals and Buddhist thought coalesced in Medieval texts that continue to form the core of Japanese culture. In this seminar students will learn to read and translate the original classical language (bungo) in essays, warrior tales, and travel diaries from the 13th through the 17th century. We will discuss how Buddhist philosophy and samurai principles evolved into aesthetic values for aspiring urbanites in the Edo period. Students will gain knowledge of traditional writings familiar to contemporary Japanese readers and will master the orthography, vocabulary, and basic structures of the pre-modern language. Our readings will include the Hojoki, Heike monogatari, and Basho¯'s Oku no hosomichi. (Approval only) 3 hrs. sem. AAL LIT LNG

JAPN 0500 - Independent Project
▹

Qualified students may be permitted to undertake a special project in reading and research under the direction of a member of the department. Students should seek an advisor and submit a proposal to the department well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken.

LITS 0701 - Independent Reading Course

Independent Reading Course
Intended for majors in literary studies preparing for the senior comprehensive examinations. At the conclusion of this course, students will take a one-hour oral examination (part of the senior comprehensive examination) in a specialization of their choice. (Approval Required) (Staff)